Health Care

By: David Cowley

If you are allergic to poison ivy then you suffer from allergies Type 4 or delayed allergies. Up to 90 percent of people are allergic to the urushiol oil that causes the poison ivy rash. Over half of the population will experience a rash with the first contact of the poison ivy plant and is considered the most common allergy in the country.

Symptoms of poison ivy allergy is a severe itching of the skin that later develop into an inflammation of the skin. Red oozing sores or blisters can develop in sever cases and the fluid will have a slight yellowish color.

Some of us can roll in poison ivy and come out without any problems, while others can merely brush up against a few leaves of the stuff and they are scratching for weeks. In most cases, allergies are more annoying that debilitating but to the extreme allergy suffers life can be pure misery or even death.

Just because you do not develop systems the first few times you come into contact with poison ivy does not mean that you are immune. It may take several exposures to poison ivy before symptoms develop. The more times you are exposed to the usushiol the more likely it is that you will break out in a rash. Symptoms usually occur within 2 to 3 days.

It only take 1 billionth of a gram to cause the rash. 1/4 of an ounce of urushiol is all that is needed to cause a rash in every person on earth.

The usushiol oil can still be found on dead poison ivy plants for up to five years. Direct contact is the most common way of catching poison ivy however, you can catch poison ivy by just being close to the plants if the urushiol oil becomes airborne due to the plants are being burned, like in a forest fire, or because of the actions of a lawnmower or weed trimmer.

Scratching or rubbing the rashes will not spread the poison ivy rash unless you still have the urushiol oil on your hands. This also means that poison ivy is not contagious and you will not be able to give it to another person. Scratching can lead to scaring and infection of the affected area so it is not recommended.

Over the years I have developed poison ivy rash numerous times and I have tried many different treatments and I have found only two treatments that work for me. The first is with my Doctor giving me a steroid shot of Prednisone. Symptoms usually start to improve within 24 hours.

The second treatment is one that I have never found documented anyplace else. Back in the early 60s an old country doctor told me of this treatment. Go to your pharmacy and get a solution of 5 percent carbolic acid in olive oil. Rub the solution on the rash. Within minutes you will see a yellowish fluid appearing on top of the red sores or blisters. Mop up the fluid and when no more fluid develops after several minutes reapply the carbolic acid in olive oil solution. This treatment will start to relieve the symptoms with an hour or two but will take 1 to 2 weeks to cure the poison ivy rash. The carbolic acid in olive oil solution seems to act as some type of drawing agent and I have successfully used it on bee stings and insect bites.

Avoidance is the best advice for Posion Ivy Allergy. Leave of three then let them be.

Always consult your doctor before using this information.

This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.

About the Author
David Cowley has created numerous articles on allergies. He has also created a Web Site dedicated to allergies and how to treat them. Visit http://www.allergies-team.com

By: Sanjib Sarkar

Catching Poison Ivy is not a fun experience. Most people do not realize they are even allergic to Poison Ivy until it is too late. Poison Ivy rashes may develop several days after exposure to the plant. Many people think Poison Ivy rashes are just normal rashes that they have developed over time.

Poison Ivy is a seasonal type rash. Most people contract poison ivy by touching the poison ivy or other similar plant species.

Poison Ivy is found in every state in the US except Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Oregon, Washington, North Dakota, Montana, Utah, New Mexico, Neveda and Wyoming.

Posion Oak is found only in the following states which are California, Neveda, Oregon and Washington.

Poison Sumac also has a wide distribution. It is found in Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and the rest of the eastern US states.

The best way to identify Poison Ivy is to look for the maple leaf.

The best way to identify Poison Oak is look for shiny red or green leafs. The plant looks pretty similar to Poison Ivy.

Poison Sumac are the easiest plants to identify because they have reddish or grayish tip consisting of 7 to 13 stems.

Poison Ivy is not contagious. The way to get Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, or Poison Sumac is to touch the plants. Some people are immune to Poison Ivy but many people are not. Also, people that are immune to Poison Ivy may not be immune a year from now.

Wearing long pants and long T-shirts so your skin is not exposed when going into wooded areas will help prevent exposure to Poison Ivy. If wearing long pants and a long shirt is not practical, just be aware of how the Poison Ivy plant looks. Some people are extremely sensitive to Poison Ivy. Some people will get Poison Ivy be simply touching the plant. Other people need more exposure to the plant before a rash develops.

If you touch a Poison Ivy plant, wash your hands with soap and water immediately. If a rash starts to develop, use Poison Ivy Lotion on the rash. This remedy will help stop the itch and prevent infections.

Poison Ivy Pills should also be taken at a general interval to get rid of the rash. Pills should be taken every hour or two during the initial start of the rash. As the rash subsides decrease the usage to every 3 or 4 hours. As the rash starts to go away you can decrease the dosage even more.

Poison Ivy pills can also be taken before you get poison ivy. The pills help to give you a little more immunity if you do touch poison ivy. The rash may be milder if these pills are taken.

If you take the follow precautions, chances of you catching Poison Ivy are significantly less. If you do happen to catch Poison Ivy, please be prepared with Poison Ivy Pills and Poison Ivy Lotion.

About the Author
Sanjib Sarkar is a content manager for Hmedicine.com. Hmedicine.com offers a vast selection of homeopathy and natural products to consumers. Hmedicine.com offers Poison Ivy Lotion and Poison Ivy Pills to help treat and prevent Poison Ivy rashes. Find out more at http://www.hmedicine.com.